01-08-2019 09:01 PM
Hi everyone, i have recently begun selling on here after a couple year hiatus. I recently sold a higher priced item (iphone xs max) to a new member id. I normally dont sell to new members because of the fraud that seems so rampant especially on higher priced items. After payment was made, i exchanged some messages with the buyer and i decided to ship the item. The buyers address was showing confirmed and eligible for seller protection on paypal.
Buyers address was in Wilmington, Delaware 19805. (im also concerned that the address may be one of those freight forwarder business??)
Package was delivered however when i requested the proof of delivery through USPS the pdf file just shows a BLANK BOX UNDER RECIPIENT AND ADDRESS OF RECIPIENT! Very frustrating to say the least. It does state that package was delivered but there is no signature visible.
What protection do i have if the buyer decides to file a item not received case?
The package was insured through the post office, should i try reaching out to them or file some sort of claim because signature was not obtained despite paying for the service?
Also what measures are you all taking to prevent fraud these days?
It seems after every item i sell, i get unsolicited messages from random usernames pretending to be the buyer asking for item to be shipped to another address.
01-10-2019 08:29 PM - edited 01-10-2019 08:32 PM
@quepasowilly wrote:
Yes I did purchase signature confirmation and insurance which is confirmed here on the product information page.
I had contacted the delivering post office and she was able to give me the name of the person accepting package however that information is not showing up for me online. She said she would update it but nothing yet
Unfortunately, Signature Service (which is not online, and it will never show up online for you, so the post office looked it up to give you the signer's name) is for the insurance only; it is not Signature Confirmation, which is online, despite the already-selected checkbox when you were fabricating your shipping label.
01-10-2019 10:01 PM
I mistyped that. I didnt file a missing package case, I just submitted a question through the usps site asking about the signature since I've been having a hard time gettin through the receiving post office and calling USPS customer service is always a nightmare (1-2 hr wait times ???)
01-10-2019 10:28 PM
You are correct. I never knew there was a difference between "signature service" and "signature confirmation" so this bears the question, how do you add "signature confirmation" to a package you are insuring then? I have been adding insurance to pretty much all my package and paying the extra $2.xx for what I thought was signature confirmation. Is this just a redundant service to add when paying for insurance ? Why do you use signature service rather than the signature confirmation that was purchased ?
01-11-2019 12:01 AM - edited 01-11-2019 12:04 AM
@quepasowilly wrote:You are correct. I never knew there was a difference between "signature service" and "signature confirmation" so this bears the question, how do you add "signature confirmation" to a package you are insuring then? I have been adding insurance to pretty much all my package and paying the extra $2.xx for what I thought was signature confirmation. Is this just a redundant service to add when paying for insurance ? Why do you use signature service rather than the signature confirmation that was purchased ?
The answer is to buy 3rd-party shipping insurance instead of USPS insurance, and add USPS Signature Confirmation.
https://about.usps.com/publications/pub370/pub370_v10_revision_012016_tech_011.htm
Includes Signature Service for items insured for more than $500. Exception: Signature Service is not included with insurance on Returns
01-11-2019 12:55 AM
If I ever do get really worried about a delivery. I call the destination P.0. They know more and can give better results that the USPS website phone 4 hour wait for a human to respond. Most of the time if not all, I get a fairly quick phone response and somebody who absolutely knows what to look for and where to find the info.
01-11-2019 12:58 AM
Signature tracking helps to prevent porch pirates, and most definately helps prevent phony INR claims. I use it religiously. AMEN.
01-11-2019 03:57 AM - last edited on 04-30-2019 04:57 PM by kh-gary
@quepasowilly wrote:You are correct. I never knew there was a difference between "signature service" and "signature confirmation" so this bears the question, how do you add "signature confirmation" to a package you are insuring then? I have been adding insurance to pretty much all my package and paying the extra $2.xx for what I thought was signature confirmation. Is this just a redundant service to add when paying for insurance ? Why do you use signature service rather than the signature confirmation that was purchased?
I never knew there was a difference between "signature service" and "signature confirmation"
so this bears the question, how do you add "signature confirmation" to a package you are insuring then?
Answer:
YOU CAN NOT ADD SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION TO ANY USPS PACKAGE WITH AN USPS INSURED VALUE OVER $500.00.
It is impossible!
Why? Because the USPS includes "Signature Service" which provides the "Proof Of Delivery" service with any package insured through the USPS in any amount GREATER THAN $500.00
Here are 2 screen shots from the USPS Click and Ship page. The 1st screen shot is where I insure the package for $500.00. Note that Signature Confirmation is made available to me for an additional cost of $2.55. The 2nd screen shot is where I insure the package for $500.01. Note that Signature Confirmation is NO LONGER made available to me due to the fact that the USPS is including the Signature Service into the total price. Although the do not make that immediately apparent when I am purchasing postage directly from them(USPS) through their website. As a seller you just have to know that it is already included with the purchase of USPS insurance with a value greater than $500.00.
The 1st screen shot is where I insure the package for $500.00
Note that Signature Confirmation is made available to me for an additional cost of $2.55.
The 2nd screen shot is where I insure the package for $500.01
Note that Signature Confirmation is NO LONGER made available to me due to the fact that the USPS is including the Signature Service into the total price.
But that fact is made available if you go digging around the USPS publications available online and locate this page.
https://about.usps.com/publications/pub370/pub370_v10_revision_012016_tech_011.htm
USPS Publication 370 - Extra Services
Do you need security and peace of mind when you send a valuable item through the mail? Use indemnity insurance. Several options are available for adding security to the gifts and merchandise you send.
Note: Insure your package against loss or damage for the actual value of what its contents are worth.
Provides up to $5,000 coverage for lost, damaged, or missing contents.
Includes signature services for items insured for more than $500
I have been adding insurance to pretty much all my package and paying the extra $2.xx for what I thought was signature confirmation.
Is this just a redundant service to add when paying for insurance?
Answer: Yes
Why do you use signature service rather than the signature confirmation that was purchased?
Because Signature Service and Signature Confirmation are the exact same services in the eyes of the USPS.
What is different between the two designations is the way that the signatures are reported or made available on the USPS Tracking details page.
Signature Confirmation is viewable directly on the USPS Tracking details page shown in the for of Signed for By: Joe Blow // NEW YORK, NY 10199 // 4:56 pm
Signature Service which is actually Signature Confirmation which has been converted to Signature Service by the USPS because it is a service that is rolled into the price of USPS insurance once the package has an insured value greater than $500 and then the Signature and address of the recipient is now made available through the "Proof Of Delivery" tab which is also directly on the USPS Tracking details page.
Looks like this. Fill out one of these and you receive...............
and you receive one of these.
Once a requester fills out their name and email address the Proof Of Delivery is then sent to the email address provided by the USPS in the form of a PDF.
Looks like this one that I have doctored to hide the actual buyers identity.
I spoke to a USPS customer service agent almost a year ago and asked them why the required the Proof Of Delivery to be sent to an email address as opposed to displaying it directly on the USPS Tracking details page? The customer service agent told me that it has to do with an internal USPS policy regarding the safeguarding of the recipient's private information, as well as mitigating potential fraud. Unfortunately the USPS customer service agent would not elaborate beyond that.
A Note Regarding Pay Pal INR Cases
With regards to Pay Pal INR cases initiated by a buyer. Pay Pal has added some newer features for sellers when a case is opened up through Pay Pal. Should a buyer open a case through Pay Pal, they now allow sellers to upload PDF’s, photos, screenshots, etc., as evidence and proof that the item in question was in fact shipped and that the signature of the recipient was attained by the USPS and presented as a PDF through the “Proof Of Delivery” tab located on the USPS Tracking Details page.
I had a buyer open an INR case this past October for an item that I sold on another online marketplace venue, but which I offered Pay Pal as a payment option. The item sold for $1,200.00 and was shipped by me via USPS Priority Mail and insured for the full amount of the purchase price of $1,200.00, and therefore included USPS “Signature Service. I just added the tracking number to the case and then uploaded the Proof Of Delivery PDF showing the buyers actual signature as well as their delivery address. I also uploaded a scanned copy of the actual USPS Priority Mail postage label that I keep on record for every sale that I ship; for good measure. This verify’s that the shipping address indeed matches the Pay Pal transaction details as well as providing a second form of verification that a Signature Service was indeed purchased for that particular shipment, since Pay Pal’s seller protection program requires that all shipments with a value greater than $750 include a signature service in order for the seller to be protected. Due to my ability to upload all of these documents to the case and not having to rely on a Pay Pal customer service agent having to go and find them on the USPS website, the case was closed in my favor in less than 48 hours.
But with a buyer who makes a purchase through eBay this would only work if that buyer chose to open the INR case directly through Pay Pal instead of opening an INR case through eBay. If the buyer opens an INR case through eBay the policy is still currently worded vaguely at least in my opinion.
What to do when a buyer opens an item not received request
In the email you received telling you the buyer's issue, select See request details. You'll find information on whether the buyer is requesting a refund or would prefer to still receive the item. You'll also see your response options:
Add tracking details – You can provide tracking information showing the date you shipped the item, the date it was delivered, and the address it was delivered to.
If the item is worth $750 or more, it should also show the signature confirmation of the recipient.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/help-buyer-item-didnt-receive?id=4116
I did have a discussion with Trinton (an eBay employee & community knowledge bank) explaining this exact same situation in great detail via email last year on 02-05-2018 & 02-06-2018. The discussion was centered around the wording of eBay’s current policy regarding potential INR cases in which the seller purchased USPS insurance greater than $500.00 and received USPS Signature Service (SIGNATURE NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY ON THE USPS TRACKING DETAILS PAGE) and any given seller’s inability to add the required Signature Confirmation once a package was insured with a value greater than $500.000.
But the stated eBay policy appears to not have been changed since then and still remains rather vague regarding this issue of Signature Service vs Signature Confirmation.
There you go, clear as mud.
01-11-2019 08:35 AM
01-11-2019 09:14 AM
What type of seller buys insurance?
01-11-2019 09:26 AM
@quepasowilly wrote:
Regardless the pdf proof of delivery I requested still does not show a signature on it which I'm assuming was the carrier who simply failed to obtain the signature on delivery ?
It's not possible for the carrier to scan as delivered without a signature if a signature is required. That option can't be bypassed or ignored. Unless it is an Express delivery - as far as I know this is the only class of mail/service where a signature can be waived and delivery scan completed by the carrier.
Further, if the carrier tries to scan a peach slip or enter the scanner screen where there should be a signature and there is nothing on it, the scanner won't accept it. There has to be something written on the scanner screen or the peach slip. Even if it's just a scribble.
My guess is that since you do see an image of the signature box, even though it looks empty there may actually be something there and either it is so faint it won't show, or maybe written in a color ink that doesn't scan (? don't know if that's even possible?).
Hopefully it won't matter in your current sale. But it would be good to know why that box shows up as empty for future reference.
01-11-2019 09:27 AM
Is that not a common practice on higher priced items? The way I see it the insurance is soley to protect us sellers because in the event of a lost package, the buyer either way is covered under buyer protection. It would be us, the sellers, that would have to take the hit.
01-11-2019 09:28 AM
@vintagecraze50 wrote:As long as the package shows delivered with the tracking provided there is no way a buyer will win a not received case on Ebay. On PP tracking showing delivered should work as well. The exception to this is if the buyer files a phony chargeback for item not received. The credit card companies WANT TO SEE/REQUIRE SIGNATURE TRACKING.
Not when the total payment for the item is over $750.
Then an online viewable signature (the Signature Confirmation service from USPS) is required from both eBay and PayPal.
03-05-2019 11:42 AM
@ozarkjoe wrote:...
Is there any shipping service where the inside is inspected and the recipient confirms that his or her desired item is inside and intact?
...
actually, you can have fedex or ups stores pack your item for you and deliver with signature confirm. i use that on high-end items. they will make sure it is there and intact when they package it, and then THEY are responsible for the contents and the delivery, and will be a corporate partner for you if there is a problem with the shipping/delivery.